Judge seeks leave of absence

Across The State

Posted: Saturday, June 12, 2004

The Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO - The associate judge who oversees a regional child protection agency has requested a leave of absence after awarding custody of a 2-year-old girl to her mother, who two months later was charged in the toddler's slaying.

District Judge Peter Sakai also has requested a review of the San Antonio office of the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services after Monday's death of Diamond Alexander-Washington from head injuries.

The toddler's mother, Kimberly Alexander, had lost custody when she tested positive for drugs when Diamond was a baby. Alexander remains jailed on a capital murder charge.

Sakai, who was not in his office Friday, issued a statement Thursday to Bexar County officials.

"Nothing like this has affected me like this child's death," Sakai said in the statement, which was obtained by television station KSAT.

Appeals court hears election lawsuit

SAN ANTONIO - U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez on Friday asked a state appeals court to reverse a lower judge's rulings and give him a chance to prove vote fraud occurred during his defeat in the Democratic primary election.

Rodriguez's attorneys asked a three-judge panel of the 4th Court of Appeals not to allow a "hypertechncial" reading of legal procedures to end his quest to overturn his March 9 loss to Henry Cuellar.

During 50 minutes of arguments, Rodriguez attorney Buck Wood defended his contention that Judge Joseph Hart erred last month when he barred him from bringing evidence of voting irregularities, including illegally cast ballots, in his election lawsuit.

Cuellar's attorneys continued to assert that the claims in Rodriguez's lawsuit were too vague.